Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series (19 page)

‘Oh. Right.’

Gossamer met Essa’s
eyes. ‘Didn’t you know I’m dead?’

‘You were,’ Essa
retorted. She began smearing ointment along Gossamer’s arms and
hands. ‘Bad was it? Your little trip?’

Gossamer was saved from
having to answer either of Essa’s comments by Tevros. The healer
carried Shea to her cot and laid her carefully upon it.

‘The pain was more than
she could bear so we caused her to sleep. Now it is a natural sleep
but she will be in pain when she wakes. Then she’ll be given herbs
which will quell the worst pain but they won’t make her sleepy. A
nurse will stay.’

The nurse with him
fetched a stool and sat beside Shea who’d been put into a much
lighter weight nightgown than Gossamer’s. She and Essa could see
dressings beneath it and Shea’s hands were also bandaged. Essa
started to rise from the side of Shea’s cot but Tevros waved her
back.

‘Don’t worry. She’ll
probably prefer people close by when she wakes. Now for the
strangers.’ Tevros moved on to the cot where the woman Tika lay,
still and silent.

Essa glanced at the
nurse across the cot. ‘Pretty bad eh?’

The nurse nodded. ‘The
top of her left arm and shoulder particularly. It was very
difficult getting the pieces of burnt cloth out of the deeper
burns. Her mind is surprisingly strong for one so young, but her
body is gravely shocked by what has happened to it.’

Sergeant Essa
understood. She’d seen guards injured in the occasional skirmishes
with recalcitrant mountain tribes. Their wounds didn’t seem severe
and yet they’d died and the healers put it down to shock. She’d
thought of Gossamer’s words, about how the Dark Realm’s guards
would cope with large scale battles rather than the minor disputes
which were all they’d experienced. The nurse broke into Essa’s
thought.

‘Your friend is also
asleep,’ she said softly. ‘Why don’t you take the chance to get
some food? I’ll be here.’

The Sergeant eased off
the side of Shea’s cot. Gossamer had slumped sideways onto the
pillow. Essa carefully lifted Gossamer’s bare feet onto the cot and
placed a blanket over the lower half of her body. Essa stretched
her huge frame, grinned at the nurse and strode off to find a
meal.

Sergeant Essa wasn’t
gone for long. She glanced around the chamber when she returned,
seeing at once that Shea, Gossamer nor the cat seemed to have
stirred at all. She crossed to the other side of the chamber where
both healers and nurses sat watching the two strangers. Tevros
joined her, arching his back to ease muscles which ached from
stooping over the low cots. Essa looked down at him.

‘Why aren’t they in the
infirmary Lord Tevros – it would be easier for you to care for them
there wouldn’t it?’

Tevros nodded. ‘Alloc
said they were to stay here, close to the First Daughter. I do not
know the reason.’ He glanced at the smaller archway which led to
Lerran’s most private rooms, and shivered.

Essa frowned, giving
her the unfortunate appearance of having but one, long eyebrow.
‘The First Daughter is still descending?’ she asked. ‘It’s nine
days since Gossamer went off on that – trip. I didn’t know any of
you, even First Daughter, could descend for so long.’

‘She is rising, so
Alloc says. But you are correct. It is a very long time and First
Daughter’s body will pay a heavy price.’

Essa was shocked. She
had seen Sword Master Favrian make a descent when he invested new
weapons forged by Garrol. Favrian took perhaps half a morning to
gather the power he needed, yet he had looked drawn and exhausted
for the rest of the day. Essa touched the hilt of her long knife.
It was her most precious possession, a gift from Shield Master
Garrol when she achieved the rank of sergeant. Very, very few
received a blood metal weapon and Essa understood the honour Garrol
had offered her.

‘They had weapons?’
She’d seen two swords laid on a table beyond the cots.

She went to look at
them more closely and saw that two daggers and two eating knives
lay behind the swords. Both swords were in plain serviceable
scabbards but the hilt of one was worn, indicating long use. Essa
bent closer to the other, smaller sword. Tevros was beside her and
she glanced at him, asking his permission to examine the sword. He
nodded. Sergeant Essa lifted the smaller sword carefully and
loosened the blade in its scabbard, exposing a hand width of blade.
She drew a breath when she saw the dull black metal. A blood metal
sword. She slid the blade back securely into the scabbard and
replaced it on the table.

‘That was. .’ Tevros
whispered.

‘Yes, it
was.’

They turned to study
the two figures lying unmoving on their cots.

‘We took that one from
the woman,’ Tevros murmured. ‘But I have been told these two come
from lands far across the world. I have always understood we of the
Dark are the only ones who know of blood metal forging.’

‘Perhaps the Shield
Master should be informed Lord Tevros?’

The healer nodded. ‘The
woman wore a golden chain bearing a strange pendant. She has
scarring between her breasts, exactly where the pendant would
normally hang. We think it is a burn scar. The pendant is still on
her, although we removed their weapons of course and their
clothes.’

Tevros clasped his
hands behind his back and rocked onto his toes then dropped back on
his heels. Sergeant Essa recognised the signs – every lecturer
she’d ever heard had these strange little quirks. But she was
definitely interested in anything Tevros could tell her about these
people whose rescue had disturbed Gossamer Tewk to such an
extent.

‘The man has recently
lost the last two fingers on his left hand. Surgery was performed
and it is almost fully healed. He also suffered a serious head
injury – I would guess it happened at the same time as his hand was
damaged. He could still well be suffering from some headaches, eye
problems and so forth, when he wakes.’

‘When he wakes,’ Essa
interposed, having decided she’d heard enough.

‘Oh they’ll wake.
Within the next day I’d say. They were deeply asleep – and it was
sleep rather than an induced unconsciousness – but their sleep is
now much lighter. Oh yes. Within a day I’m sure.’

Tevros wandered off to
look at Shea. Sergeant Essa stayed where she was, studying the
small woman, sleeping, if Tevros was correct, on the cot in front
of her. The woman had dark curly hair, not short but not long
either. Her face was delicate with fine cheekbones and a determined
chin. Her hands lay slack above the covers and Essa noted that they
were small hands but also long fingered and bare of rings. The
nurses had put the woman into a thin nightgown and left the top
laces untied.

Sergeant Essa stepped
closer, looking to the watching healers for any sign of disapproval
of her presence. When none came, she squatted by the cot, staring
at the pale face, the closed eyes fringed with long dark lashes.
Essa reached a hand to the opening of the nightgown where a gold
chain glinted. She moved the material aside cautiously and saw an
egg shaped object. The back of it was a rich reddish gold, the
front filled with a strange amber substance. Sergeant Essa’s
forefinger touched the pendant. She froze. She found herself
staring into a pair of brilliant green eyes, the pupils dilated
and, where there should be whiteness, gleaming silver
scaling.

‘Who are you?’ Tika
croaked.

Chapter
Eleven

Lerran had risen to the
sixth level, Farn’s mind clinging to hers. Something, some tiny
crumb of sanity, told him this person was not lying to him, would
do their best to find Tika. For the first time for many days, Farn
truly rested, a trickle of hope creeping into him. He rested, quite
unaware of Lerran’s growing struggle. Farn’s damaged mind was an
increasing burden and the levels through which she’d descended with
relative ease were reluctant to let her leave. The First Daughter
was aware that her body was greatly weakened, that already Harith
was on the point of collapse.

She had little time to
save either herself, or Farn, let alone both of them. Lerran
floated in the Dark, moving slowly up to the fifth level. She
forced herself to patience, waiting for the sense of thinning, of
relaxation in the barrier ahead, then pushed them through. The Dark
felt cold; it should feel much warmer. Lerran understood that this
coldness meant she was dangerously weak. She snatched at a pocket
of strength which came from something near her, but she no longer
felt surrounded by the great cloud of power as she had on her
descent. Could Corman drag them through the last four levels? She
made her decision and began to rise again, sending three pulses of
thought into the world outside the Dark.

Hag screamed high above
Lady Emla’s House in Gaharn. Then she closed her wings and
plummeted down. She glimpsed those feathered abominations – gijan –
together with three Dragons beside one of the Pavilions. She landed
and two of Lady Emla’s guards eyed the great bird with
apprehension. Hag cackled, her heavy beak agape, and hopped up the
shallow steps to the closed doors. She tilted her head to make sure
the guards were watching, cackled again and the doors burst
open.

Hag remained at the
doorway, watching those within with interest. But she only wanted
Cyrek and he took his time before joining her outside.

‘What do you want Hag?’
he demanded. ‘Don’t waste my time.’

Hag huffed, strutting
back towards the steps. ‘First Daughter sent me with your orders.’
She tilted her head, a black eye rimmed with gold staring up at
Cyrek intently.

‘Tell me
quickly.’

Cyrek hurried back into
the Pavilion to Seola’s side. He murmured softly and she nodded,
reaching for the old herb woman Nenat, both of them drawing back
towards the wall. Kija watched Cyrek closely and moved now to curl
around her son’s motionless body. Lady Emla held the cat, Khosa,
against her shoulder as she also moved towards Farn, concerned that
his mother had sensed a change in his condition. In his turn, Nesh
closed up to Emla, his arm round her waist. Cyrek moved to kneel by
the unconscious silver blue Dragon. Eyes blazing gold, he looked up
at Emla.

‘The First Daughter is
in gravest peril, but she is nearly risen, with this one’s mind. We
must be close. Will you come?’

Emla and Nesh nodded as
one. Cyrek spoke a single phrase, and the six of them vanished from
Gaharn.

In the Karmazen Palace,
Tika tried to rise and was horrified at her weakness. Healers and
nurses had all rushed forward but Sergeant Essa, already beside
her, put two great hands under Tika’s armpits and lifted her
effortlessly to a sitting position while the nearest nurse pushed
pillows behind her for support. A sudden wail came from across the
chamber and heads turned. The cat on Shea’s bed slid awkwardly to
the floor, staggered and fell. Tevros hurried to pick up the animal
and carried it to the woman at once. The cat’s claws dug into the
bed covers and he pulled himself closer to Tika.

Her green eyes seemed
magnified, shining with tears, her hands reaching shakily towards
the cat. ‘Akomi,’ she whispered. She looked wildly at the people
gathered round her. ‘Where is Sket?’

It was Sergeant Essa
who put a hand on her shoulder and indicated the cot hidden behind
the crowd of nurses. They moved aside and the man was visible,
moving restlessly, his eyelids fluttering. Two healers bent over
him at once but now Tevros was beside her.

‘Can you tell me how
your friend was hurt? His hand is mending but his head has had a
severe blow.’

Tika stared at Tevros
in confusion, her arms trembling as she gathered the cat close. ‘He
hit his head before, but Jakri said it was nearly mended. Perhaps
he hit it again when we fell.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Where is Farn?’
Her voice rose. ‘Where is he?’

‘Hush now, hush.’ A new
voice broke in. ‘I am Coby child. I know that Farn is what you term
soul bond to you, yes?’ Coby sat on the edge of the cot and covered
Tika’s hands with her own. ‘We do not know exactly how long since
you were snatched away to the place we call the Splintered Kingdom,
but Farn was not taken. His grief at your disappearance has ravaged
his mind.’

Tika gasped and
crumpled over the cat. One of Coby’s hands began to stroke the
mottled fur of the cat’s back.

‘Our First Daughter has
descended into the Dark to find your Farn’s soul and return it to
his body.’

‘She can do
this?’

Coby didn’t falter.
‘She has nearly returned to us and she has Farn in her grasp. You
have been brought to this Karmazen Palace in the Dark Realm. We are
half a world away from your own lands.’ Coby saw the rising panic
in Tika’s strange eyes. ‘Dark Lords were sent to rescue you, and
Dark Lords have gone to your land. A gateway will be opened and
Farn will be brought here. No, I do not know exactly when, but he
will be brought. Now, I think that’s enough explanations for the
time being child.’

No one who didn’t know
Coby well could have recognised how forced was her tone and the
accompanying smile. ‘Make a fuss of your cat – the poor old
fellow’s been through as much as you have I’d guess.’